Dog Left in Syria Reunites With Refugee Family

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After a family had to flee their war torn country last year and leave their dog behind, they were recently reunited — and it was all caught on tape.

A mother and her two sons were forced to leave Aleppo, Syria after their home was hit by a missile in late 2015. They had to leave behind their father, who has polio and would be unable to travel; their grandmother and their dog, Fox.

The trio made their way to Canada where they were placed with refugee status in Montreal, Quebec. While the father and grandmother had to remain behind because of health reasons, the family was hoping they could be reunited with Fox.

The oldest son wrote to SPCA International in April 2016 pleading for help. “I left Syria urgently with my mom and my brother, but we left our lovely dog, Fox, in Aleppo, Syria. We left him with our dad in a very dangerous area named Syrian El-Jadideh, he wrote, according to the SPCA. “Please help us bring our Fox [to Montreal]. Mom [is] always crying. She is extremely worried about Fox.”

The SPCA stepped in, reaching out to their local partners: Syrian Association for Rescuing Animals and Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA). The organizations were able to find Fox, but the journey was going to be anything but easy. He was taken out of Aleppo and driven to Damascus in the middle of the night a few weeks back. From there, he was transported across the border of Lebanon and into Beirut by the military. Once there, BETA helped Fox with export papers. He was then flown from Beirut to Germany and finally to Montreal.

When everyone reunited at the airport, Fox was unsure at first but once he got a whiff of his family, his tail couldn’t stop wagging.

Check out the happy reunion below:

Andrea Huspeni is the founder and CEO of This Dog's Life. Her mission it to help dogs live a happier, healthier and longer life. When she isn't working, she spends time with her two dogs, Lola and Milo. She resides in Brooklyn, NY.